Quotes About “Released”

Jeffʼs forty-eight years old. He could be a guy who, after a few drinks at the country club, starts talking about how close he came to living his dream of making music.

Jeff didnʼt let go of that dream. Jeff chose to make his first record at forty-eight with a commitment and focus that would be a credit to anyone of any age.
I admire that about him.

Jeffʼs musicianship is steeped in jazz. He cares about chops and knows what good playing is and
strives successfully to be that kind of a player.
I admire that about him.

I admire the fact that he leaves work, comes home to his wonderful family, puts them to bed and starts mining the Internet for sampled drum sounds, guitar sounds; anything that he can put together to create a bed for his music.

Iʼm amazed that a guy his age is so aware and so adept at borrowing the tools of todayʼs very young musicians to create a hybrid of jazz and contemporary sounds that results in something
unique.

I love it that he canʼt let go of the acoustic world; that he can use sampled drums, but wants to play
his horn unaffected into a Neumann mic; that he also needs the sounds of acoustic guitar, piano, the human voice and a warm bass to create the dream he hears. A true synthesis.

I have a long history of involvement in instrumental music. I produced George Winston and Michael Hedges among a long list of very well known players.

There are a million players in Electronica. There are a million Michael Hedges clones and two million George Winston clones.

Jeff is the first player to bring horns into this realm of contemporary instrumental music. You could point to Mark Isham and Chris Botti (both musicians we were involved with at Windham Hill) as comparisons, but Jeff really has his own niche that heʼs carved out of a brilliant synthesis of influences and sounds.
This guy is the real deal.

Iʼve seen careers take off and recognize when music creates a buzz almost without effort and thatʼs what happens when people hear Jeff Osterʼs music.